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August 30, 2007
Biography and Memoir
Not happy with your life? Lose yourself in someone else’s story. New biographies out this month feature world leaders, celebrities and ordinary people living through extraordinary circumstances.
Bliss Broyard, the daughter of the late literary critic Anatole Broyard recounts her father’s startling deathbed revelation about his black heritage in One Drop: A True Story of Family, Race, and Secrets.
Ike is the new biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower by Michael Korda. Korda will be speaking at the Library on November 4th so mark your calendars for this special event.
Of Lattes and Land Rovers: Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler is a hilarious memoir of life at a prestigious prep school. Author Wade Rouse describes his job as director of publicity and the challenging responsibility of keeping the mothers of his elite students happy.
The posthumously discovered diary of a young woman from Vietnam written between 1968 and 1970 is being published by Random House in September. Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram is a poignant book that speaks of devotion to family and country, the horrors of war and love of a childhood sweetheart.
Rosie O’Donnell describes how fame became an addition in Celebrity Detox. This is a frank and comical memoir of Rosie’s rise to fame, her decision to leave and then return to a high profile life. Seems she’s still making headlines with her blog.
Fidel Castro: My Life: A Spoken Autobiography is an intimate self portrait of the Cuban leader who came to power in 1959 and has ruled over Cuba through ten U. S. presidents.
Sudanese-born international supermodel Alek Wek describes her civil-war-torn childhood, her daring escape to London, and her entry into fashion fame at the age of nineteen in Alek: From the Streets of the Sudan to the Runways of Milan and New York.
Those of us who heard Alan Alda speak at Book Expo in June were impressed by his new book, Things I Overheard While Talking To Myself. In this heartfelt memoir, Alda looks back at his life and muses over the paths he chose from the turbulent 1960s through September 11th.
Posted by MaryF at 06:17 AM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2007
When the levees broke
Today marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Friends whose New Orleans home was destroyed when the levees broke have just gotten word that relief money will be available to them to pay for the demolition of their house. Maybe now they can move forward with their lives.
The nation's response to Hurricane Katrina and it's devistating effect on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region is documented in some excellent books and DVDs. Jed Horne's book Breach of Faith talks about how NOLA's troubled culture and politics contributed to the disaster. The book's on the High School Summer Reading List. NOVA's Hurricane katrina: storm that drowned a city features eye witness testimony and Spike Lee's When the levees broke is an amazing documentary that the New Yorker called "...the most magnificent and large-souled record of a great American tragedy ever put on film."
And you can't talk about New Orleans without talking about music. If you've never listened to Dr. John, Buckwheat Zydeco, Allen Toussaint, or BeauSoleil, give yourself a gift with Our New Orleans.
Released in December of 2005, this benefit album "showcases the depth, richness, and profound musicality of that unique city." It was a labor of love and every track is amazing. From Allen Toussaint - "Yes We Can Can" to Davell Crawford - "Gather by the River" and BeauSoleil - "L'ouragon," which I defy you to listen to without tapping your feet. Net proceeds from the sale of Our New Orleans go to Habitat for Humanity International. A portion of those funds will be earmarked to help provide housing for musicians who lost their homes.
Posted by MaryF at 09:12 AM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2007
Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda
Popular author Michael Korda has a new biography of Dwight D. Eisenhower out that's now available at the Library.
This new work by the author of such diverse works as the novel Queenie, the 2003 book Horse People: Scenes from the Riding Life and a recent biography of Ulysses S. Grant has received rave reviews by critics and readers alike.
And there's an added bonus. Michael Korda will be speaking here on November 4th.
So come on in and check out the book, mark your calendar for this special event at the Library, and watch our website for more information.
Posted by MaryF at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2007
You're Invited!
A WINE & CHEESE PARTY AT THE LIBRARY
Darien Library wraps up an extremely successful Adult Summer Reading Program with a Grand Finale Wine & Cheese Party on Wednesday, August 22 at 7 p.m. Award-winning journalist Stacy Lytwyn Maxwell will be our special guest. Maxwell’s 13 years of research have yielded a fabulous and fun book, Consummate Connecticut: Day Trips with Panache, which features 48 different Connecticut cities, towns, and villages, and all there is to do and see in the Nutmeg State.
The Adult Summer Reading Program, which concludes after 10 weeks, had nearly 400 participants. More than 600 entries (each one representing a book read) for raffle prizes were submitted. Each week of the program, the Library held a drawing for a bag of books. The bags of books included autographed books, advanced readers copies of future bestsellers, and/or newly published titles.
Three Grand Prizes (two L.L. Bean duffle bags and a Vera Bradley travel kit) will be announced and awarded at the Grand Finale event, and all who attend will receive a gift of a copy of Maxwell’s book.
Participation in the Adult Summer Reading Program is not necessary to attend the Wine & Cheese Party.
Posted by BarbaraT at 09:51 AM | Comments (0)
August 13, 2007
Stephen King gets the last word
Stephen King is, once again, spot on in his analysis of the publishing industry and his way with words is very evident in his review of J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter franchise.
Posted by Kim at 09:38 AM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2007
Of Gutenberg and iPhones
There’s more than one way to read a book. Bound pages are only one format available to the modern day reader. Books on CD, downloadable books, and Playaway - a new single cassette-like format now available, are all very popular with readers. According to a New York Times article, readers are using PDA’s, cell phones and Sony Readers to read books while waiting in lines at airports, banks, and restaurants. At Project Gutenberg, a resource for electronic formats of books no longer under copyright, over 17,000 books are available for downloads. iPhones can be used to read books in HTML or PDF formats.
I can’t think of anything better to take away the stress of waiting in line than being lost in a good book.
Posted by MaryF at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2007
Godspeed Barbara Morgan
When the space shuttle Endeavor lifts off tomorrow Barbara Morgan, age 55, will fulfill the mission started 21 years ago by Christa McAuliffe to launch a teacher in space program.
After the 1986 Challenger disaster the program was put on hold until 1998 when NASA started to train teachers to be astronauts just as it trains scientists to be mission specialists.
Barbara Morgan, the backup teacher for Christa McCauliffe and the Challenger Mission, was the first teacher they contacted. Tomorrow she fulfills the dream. And there are more teacher trained astronauts to carry the program forward.
Awe inspiring in so many ways.
Posted by MaryF at 04:14 PM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2007
Audio Books. Cheating? IS NOT!
The New York Times recently ran an article that implied listening to an audio book was cheating. Book Group members felt guilty about listening to rather than reading the books that were going to be discussed. Avid listeners, don't waste one moment on guilt because listening to a book is not cheating!
Audio books are an extention of a fine tradition of storytelling that will probably outlast the printed word. Who cares how you absorb Jane Austen or Khaled Hosseini. Audio books have a depth and character all their own. And if the author is the one reading, you get an even greater insight into the work.
Here's a list of recently added Books on CD.
Don't hesitate to reserve your copy today.
It's the full literary experience.
New England White by Stephen Carter
The Quickie by James Patterson
The Water's Lovely by Ruth Rendell
Paris 1919 Six Months that Changed the World by Margaret Olwen Macmillian
Dog Days by Jon Katz
Forever on the Mountain by James Tabor
Posted by MaryF at 10:14 AM | Comments (1)